How to Effectively Make a Career Change

7/6/2012 1:04PM

Dennis Nishi on Lunch Break looks at how employees that want to make a career change can prepare themselves while still in their first career. The main idea is avoiding having to start at the bottom. Photo: Michael Stravato for Wall Street Journal.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... changing we ... sound pretty dreamy should make it a reality proprietary Financial weenie actions Dennis Nishi he's been exploring that he is in Los Angeles joined us right now ... he still is statistically methodical approach ... to actually if the filling your dream to change careers twenty mean by that this ... while most people won't tend to think that the that he understands the career or maybe they put into an inadequate amount of time and the truth is they really have to ... take your time with the unit's obviously a very big undertaking still ... requires quite a bit of research ... in many many different ways not just the knowledge and information about the new career in the new company ... but also about the people the language of the new career ... many things that save for one woman are and talk to her about her career squishy went from being a tenured professor and chair person of the biology department ... to going into finance of that's a pretty big leap what some of that tangible steps that she can dance ... well the first nation on it she knew that her skills are transferable especially her mathematical skills than or improving our knowledge of biotechnology so ... first thing she did when she saw her certification candidates for ... up to the financial planning indicates presents a change in the first exam while he was still teaching ... and that gave her a sense of whether she would like the job or not and keep them that she did ... and she ended up ... taking a leave of absence in person they know full time job search and ... she's now a ... portfolio manager ... the takeaway is for other people in terms of tips and they wanna really started doing this methodical approach to ... thinking about a career change what I think when is it ... things like having a plan for a lower budget if you if you are can have that make the same money on how to DVD get mentors and how does this work Dennis ... is there someone recommended to find a huge meteor in the hope the transition into the new career obviously someone who's been you know you are career coach or mentor someone ... in the industry Association can tell you ... you know kind of these that the that moves ... also you want to ... get a new budget for in case you end up serving and lower position in a ... lower salary ... cause a lot of financial distress ... prepared for that so ... if you know accelerator and the making and I'm you know anything else that can really tell ... and I think one of the hardest things is you just think this is this notion of starting at a lower level and you could've been somebody ... and very high as one ... of your prehistory Airbus only are there ... and people are taking it quite seriously that you gotta be ready for that mental impact I would imagine ... here are coming to my and you can really look at it so much has been the most mature in a career change has obviously you know you're not necessarily going to be able to ... announce the start of the exact same while ... but that will really helps is also being able to work ... aam ... translates your current skills course strengths ... into the new context ... you know that can provide more experienced and hope you get delayed up ... to get a better position also ... if you can find ... a work ... in the field whether doing volunteer work or in the minimum wage job one weekend at the retail level company resistance to say whatever that Starbucks a unit of being over a reason ... to actually help you get because you become a manager and eventually if you wanted to become go from that even a second epic that's it that's good advice get offended or where ever you can use their resume Dennis Nishi ... thanks for giving us a preview lot of people going about doing the synthesis and very tangible advice I've more the Sunday ... paper thanks for being with us